Neese
'Background' As a young priestess, Neese was of unmeasurable talent and a healer renowned throughout Alania. At the start of the War of the Demon God, Neese was approached by a mysterious warrior-sorceress clad in full body armor who carried a message from Alan, saying that a wounded dwarf had appeared in the city and needed her healing. So, Neese traveled to the city to find not just any dwarf, but the king of the Kingdom of Stone in the company of Flaus, Beld, Wort, and Fahn. After this meeting, she would join with them in their quest to slay the demon. When the Mirror Forest was attacked, Neese led soldiers and priestesses from Alania to battle the demons, but the favor of the battle seemed to be on the demons’ side. So, to even the odds, Neese decided to take a major risk and call upon Marfa to descend into her. Very few priests survived this act, and those that did were not often long for the world. Neese was willing to sacrifice herself to defeat the demon though, and thus, she became Marfa’s vessel. The demon hordes were driven back, though the Demon God was not defeated and escaped. Afterwards, Neese made a fast recovery, and would live for many, many more years, perhaps for her high favor in Marfa’s eyes. Neese went on to journey with the Hundred Heroes into the Labyrinth where she was one of the seven who faced the Demon God. While she stood back to watch over the fighters, they realized that wounding the Demon God would only spawn more demons, as they were born from her blood. So, Neese realized that by healing the demon, she could avoid the spawning of more demons, but if they got the soul-stealing sword of the demon, they could still kill her. The demon was disarmed, and Flaus sacrificed herself in the hopes that Falis would descend into her, which he did, but she was not so blessed as Neese. Flaus died there, in the deepest cavern, along with the demon. After the war, Neese made a name for herself as a hero, though she returned to her humble life in Tarba, eventually—and some would say inevitably—she became the High Priestess of Tarba. Twelve years after the war, Neese discovered a baby girl who had been born as the reincarnation of Naneel, a priestess of Kardis who had died around three hundred years earlier. Neese learned that there was a way to use Naneel’s reincarnation to resurrect Kardis, and she took it upon herself to take the girl and raise her as her own daughter, protecting her within the walls of the Tarba temple. This girl was named Leylia. Leylia showed a great potential for healing as well, and most people would have assumed that she was Neese’s own flesh and blood—if not only for her talent, but for their similar looks as well. When Leylia was a teenager, a dwarf named Ghim was brought in for healing from the nearby Steel Kingdom after he was injured in a mining accident. Neese and Leylia took care of him while he recovered, and Leylia became close friends; perhaps he filled the role of a father figure in her life. It wasn’t long afterwards that Leylia disappeared, kidnapped from Tarba. Neese tried to find her, but never found a trace. Praying to Marfa for guidance, the goddess told her that that “Leylia exists, but does not live.” After seven years, Ghim decided that he had to find Leylia. The dwarf set out to find her in the company of five others, forming another group of six heroes, and after getting caught up in the War of Heroes, they discovered that Leylia had been possessed by Karla. After the deaths of King Fahn and Emperor Beld, Ghim and his companions set out to free Leylia. In a the battle to release Leylia from the witch’s control, Ghim was killed, but they succeeded—though their friend Woodchuck was the next to be taken by the witch. Leylia returned to Tarba in the company of the sorcerer Slayn, whom she fell in love with. The pair were married quickly, and soon a daughter came into the world; “Little” Neese, named in honor of Neese. One of the stipulations for Leylia being used to resurrect Kardis was that she had to be “pure”, a virgin. Now obviously no longer virgin, Leylia wasn’t suitable for Kardis’ resurrection...but her daughter was. Naneel’s soul had moved into Little Neese, but the girl was also hailed as the reincarnation of Marfa herself. On Neese’s deathbed she revealed to Slayn the truth of Leylia’s adoption, and the curse of Naneel’s soul that Little Neese now carried. Neese died in NRC 524. 'Appearances in the Series' Neese appeared in the Demon God story arc, including the Legends of Lodoss novels and Lady of Pharis manga. She also appeared as a supporting character in Grey Witch story arc, including novels, manga, and OAV, and with a smaller role in the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight story arc on her deathbed. Category:Characters Category:Human Category:Females Category:Priestess of marfa Category:Holy priest's and priestesses Category:Cleric Category:Main character